Home  >  Chicago  >  Evanston  >  Downtown Evanston Apartments  >  Optima Towers

High-rise Condo
Downtown Evanston, 1580 Sherman Ave | Evanston
Overview
Photos
Amenities

Top Amenities

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  •  Cat friendly
  •  Controlled Access
  •  Dog friendly
  •  Fitness Center
  •  Granite Countertops
  •  Hardwood Floors
  •  Indoor Pool
  •  Parking Garage  
  •  Private Balconies
  •  Resident Lounge
  •  Stainless Steel Appliances
  •  Washer/Dryer In Unit

User Rating

7.9
Great
40 Reviews

About this Location

Whole Foods Market
7 min walk
UP-N (rail) - 7 min
Purple Line (metro) - 7 min
The Lakefill
21 min walk
Lots of bars and
restaurants nearby

Pricing 

1 Bedroom, 1 Bath
$2,400+
2 Bedrooms, 2 Baths
$3,500+
3 Bedrooms, 2 Baths
$4,500+
Schedule Appointment At
(872) 704-8022

  • Bedrooms

    •  Walk-in Closets

  • Building Related

    •  Elevators

  • Entertainment

    •  Resident Lounge

  • Included

    •  Basic Cable Included
    •  Gas Included
    •  Heat Included
    •  Water Included

  • Kitchen

    •  Dishwasher
    •  Garbage Disposal
    •  Granite Countertops
    •  Microwave
    •  Refrigerator
    •  Stainless Steel Appliances
    •  Stove & Oven

  • Laundry

    •  Washer/Dryer In Unit

  • Living Room

    •  Air Conditioning
    •  Hardwood Floors
    •  Large Windows

  • Parking & Transportation

    •  Parking Garage  

  • Pet Terms & Amenities

    •  Cat friendly
    •  Dog friendly

  • Security & Maintenance

    •  Controlled Access
    •  On-site Maintenance

  • Sports & Fitness

    •  Fitness Center
    •  Indoor Pool

  • View

    •  Amazing Views
    •  Private Balconies
X

Overall rating 7.9/10, based on 40 renter reviews Write a review

9.2
Location
5.9
Amenities
6.5
Management
8.3
Value
5.3
Social
8.9
Safety
Excellent
15
Great
16
Good
8
Average
1
Terrible
0

Optima Towers reviews and highlights

  • Indoor pool and jacuzzi
  • Lots of space to entertain
  • Great amenities
  • All the appliances you need
  • 5 min bike ride to campus
  • Heated parking garage
  • Great for families
  • Lots of retirees
  • Close to all of Evanston's nightlife
  • Maintenance varies by your condo owner
  • Building is quiet
  • Large walk-in closets
  • Great view of Lake Michigan
  • Spacious bathrooms
  • Amazing location
  • Huge master bedrooms
  • Building has been wonderful
  • Modern apartments that are in great condition
  • Small, but functional gym
  • Close to lots of restaurants
  • Parking is included
  • Rent is very reasonable
  • Washer/Dryer included
  • Amazing balcony
  • Large modern kitchens
Filter reviews for
10
Excellent
Overall score
Location
Amenities
Management
Value
Social

Great location and amenities

This is by far the best located apartment building we've seen. We are as close to downtown as you can get. Small gym in the building with a small indoor pool and jacuzzi.
Perfect sized apartment with great maintenance team.

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Reviewed by
 
  • Roommates
  • 2 beds / 2 baths
10
Excellent
Overall score
Location
Amenities
Management
Value
Social

Awesome location

Awesome location and very nice apartments

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Reviewed by
 
  • 2 beds / 2 baths
10
Excellent
Overall score
Location
Amenities
Management
Value
Social

Highly recommend Optima Towers

Great value - washer/dryer, new dishwasher, fridge, stove, microwave, heated floors in winter, central A/C & heat controlled in the unit by you. Spacious bathroom and huge bedroom for a 1bd/1ba. Two walk-in closets. Deck (large enough for our full size gas grill and several people to hang out while grilling). Large kitchen as well. In a great location - center of downtown Evanston. Building is quiet with mostly "grown-ups" who live in the condo they own and then a handful of Kellogg students renting out the rest of the units from owners that have moved away.

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Reviewed by
 
  • Couple
  • Pet owner
  • 1 bed / 1 bath
9
Excellent
Overall score
Location
Amenities
Management
Value
Social

Beautiful Building, Few Students

Our building has been wonderful. It's nicer than any other condo building that I've been in and our landlord has been very helpful. It is less than a block away to both the El and Metra, which is perfect for my fiancé and her job in the city. Parking is included in the rent and is heated, which is a huge perk during the winter.

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Reviewed by
 
  • Couple
  • 1 bed / 1 bath
8
Great
Overall score
Location
Amenities
Management
Value
Social

Lovely

Great building, amenities, and location

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Reviewed by
 
  • Roommates
  • 2 beds / 2 baths
9
Excellent
Overall score
Location
Amenities
Management
Value
Social

Great apartment

The apartment is very nice and have a great view of the Lake Michigan

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Reviewed by
 
  • Family w/ children
  • 2 beds / 2 baths
8
Great
Overall score
Location
Amenities
Management
Value
Social

Great for dining, but a bit far from campus

The apartment itself is great, and our balcony is huge. Our view isn't great (apartments across the courtyard), but the apartment is well equipped (furnished) and with no major faults. The master bedroom is quite large, but the second bedroom is small (and with a pole taking up valuable space). That room is great as a nursery, but would be small for an MBA given the lack of closet space.

There are several other Kellogg students in the building, but it is by no means party central. The building has a good parking garage and also has a small pool/hot tub and workout facilities.

My landlord is overseas, but we the few (minor) issues that we had were taken care of extremely quickly. Overall, I think that this unit was a great find.

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  • Family w/ children
  • 2 beds / 2 baths

The Neighborhood

Signature Spots

dining 27 Recs

Buffalo Joe’s
World of Beer
Blaze Fast-Fire’d Pizza
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grocery 2 Recs

Whole Foods Market
Trader Joe’s
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convenience 2 Recs

Walgreens
7-Eleven
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fitness 35 Recs

Pure Barre
Evanston Athletic Club
Akemi Fitness Method
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parks 7 Recs

Dawes Park
Merrick Rose Garden
Clark Street Beach
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coffee 16 Recs

Andy’s Frozen Custard
Cupitol Coffee & Eatery
Other Brother Coffeebar
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About Downtown Evanston

Since it's home to Northwestern, Downtown Evanston is the most popular residential area for Kellogg students. Most apartment buildings in Downtown Evanston are a 20 minute walk from the Donald P. Jacobs Center, and several public transport options can cut that commute even further. This safe and hig...
Walkable
Easy Commute
Great Location
Student Friendly
Social Community
Great Accessibility
Proximity To Amenities
Median rents in Downtown Evanston
Studio
$
2,300
1 Bedroom
$
2,600
2 Bedroom
$
3,300

Getting around Downtown Evanston

UP-N (rail)

7 min

Purple

7 min

208/250 (bus)

5 min

213 (bus)

2 min

201 (bus)

2 min

93 (bus)

7 min

Parking at Optima Towers

Parking Garage

, , , ,

Parking Near Optima Towers

City of Evans Sherman Plaza Self Park

7 min
$95 / month

City of Evans 1800 Maple Self Park Garage

11 min
$110 / month

City of Evans Church Street Self Park Garage

12 min
$95 / month
Parking rates are for informational purposes only and may vary — for most up to date pricing, please reach out to the garage directly.

Downtown Evanston Reviews

546 reviews
Reviewed by Northwestern Graduate Student living at 1406 Elmwood Ave
Lots of apartments and family homes in the area. I always see someone riding their bike or walking throughout the day. It's a block from the police station, and only 2-3 blocks to downtown. Close to intercampus shuttle, 201 bus stop (3 blocks), and Dempster purple line (1.5 blocks). Nice area to live, quiet at night.
Reviewed by Northwestern Graduate Student living at Residences of Sherman Plaza
Downtown Evanston is a great place to live if you're a NU student. It's super easy to get to campus via either walking or the bus, and has convenient groceries within walking distance. The food scene is not the best, but good enough.
Reviewed by Local Resident living at The Scholar
Evanston is the epitome of a college town, everything you need and most of what you want is within a 10 minute walk.
Reviewed by Northwestern Graduate Student living at McManus Living-Learning Center
I really enjoy living in downtown Evanston. Everything that I need is within walking distance, and it is a 10-15 minute walk to my classes.
Reviewed by Northwestern Graduate Student living at 617-625 Grove St. Apartments
Safe, walkable area, even late at night depending on the streets you take. Great for convenience in terms of getting to campus, no car needed, access to many public transit options. You lose out in terms of cheap food options and fun nightlife - there are only a couple of bars open after 9PM on the weekends and for cheap food you're stuck with Chipotle or at best Tomate. But the lake and beach are within walking distance and you live close to other NU students making it well worth it for me.
Reviewed by Northwestern Medill Student living at Clark Street Apartments
Evanston really is a nice town. There's loads of food, both chains and otherwise, and a number of shops and things if you don't mind moving around a little. Driving in the greater Evanston area is not a lot of fun, I will say. I get the sense that the city doesn't much like the University and its constituents, and that the students don't always respect the city. It's not a perfect relationship, but it works. I can easily walk or take transit to class on the Evanston campus, and when I have class in Chicago I take transit, which usually takes more than an hour in the morning and close to an hour coming home.
Reviewed by Kellogg MBA Student living at Centrum Evanston
Downtown Evanston is super cute! There are tons of restaurants and a handful of bars so I find that it offers a good bit of variety for the neighborhood size. There are street festivals, a great farmers market, summer concerts in the square and other community events I've enjoyed. Would highly recommend Evanston anyone who wants access to the city but a self-sufficient "urban burb" type neighborhood.
Reviewed by Kellogg School of Management Student living at Centrum Evanston
Pros: Great location near key Kellogg hangouts like World of Beer, Nevins, Five and Dime, Prairie Moon, etc. Also convenient to Bennison's Bakery! Great for late nights- can get home in < 5 minutes without ubering. Also near both Metra and L- ideal if you plan to spend some of your time in downtown Chicago.

Cons: Long walk from the Global hub. Closest grocery store is Whole Foods, a bit of a hike to TJ's and Jewel.

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